Massive increase in sex crimes in Sweden, number of female victims almost doubles – Report

In recent years, the proportion of Swedes that state they have been subjected to sexual offenses has increased dramatically, especially among women.

From 2013 and forward there is a clear change. A new compilation of the National Security Survey (NTU) from the Swedish Council for Crime Prevention (Brå) shows.

In 2006, 2.5 per cent of women and 0.4 per cent of men reported that they had been subjected to offenders.

And the statistics remained at that level for years. In recent years, the proportion that claim they have been exposed to sexual offenses has shown a clear increase, according to Brå.

As of 2013, the number grew significantly and has now multiplied. Now 10.7 per cent of women report that they have been victims of sexual offenses, compared to 1.6 per cent of men.

Between 2015 and 2017, the number of women nearly doubled, from 5.8 per cent to 10.7 per cent .

“It is important to bear in mind that sexual offense is a crime category that covers a wide range of crimes. Everything from milder incidents such as offensive sexual comments, to very serious crimes, such as rape”, says Maria Söderström, investigator at Brå.

The crime most Swedes worry about being subjected to is residential burglary, 28 per cent state this. 20 per cent of women and 2 per cent of men worry about being subjected to rape and assault.